This is vocabulary, not medical advice. It's here so you can follow what's being said and ask better questions — not so you can work out what's wrong or what to do about it. That's a conversation with your own clinician, who knows your history.
What you'd probably say, and what the chart, the lab report or the specialist calls it. Knowing the word turns “I don't feel right” into a question someone can actually answer.
Medicine is divided by organ system, by technique, and by setting. Knowing which specialty owns a problem saves referrals, appointments and months.
The working vocabulary. The last two groups — the numbers that matter and how to run the visit — are the ones I'd read first.
Charts, after-visit summaries and portal notes are written in abbreviation. Here's how to read yours.